


Plots and Power

by Emjen_Enla



Series: Prompted Works [46]
Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Betrayal, Book 1: The Cruel Prince, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Deception, F/M, Forcing Someone to Obey You Via Magic Oaths, almost canon compliant, lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26724829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emjen_Enla/pseuds/Emjen_Enla
Summary: “You said that you wanted Oak crowned king.” Cardan hissed in her ear. Or Jude and Cardan after Cardan's coronation. Written for the prompt "I lied" on Tumblr.
Relationships: Jude Duarte/Cardan Greenbriar
Series: Prompted Works [46]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1366669
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Plots and Power

**Author's Note:**

> #75: “I lied” Jurdan
> 
> It has been a LONG time since I last wrote tfota fanfic. Hopefully everyone’s in character. 
> 
> This is almost but not quite TCP compliant. It doesn’t quite work with the Jude/Cardan scene in the epilogue, but other than that it should be good.

“You said that you wanted Oak crowned king.” Cardan hissed in her ear.

Jude jumped and immediately kicked herself for it. Cardan had come up behind her more silently than she’d thought possible. He was so close she could feel the heat of him at her back. If he’d been just a bit more awful he could have rammed a blade through her back and she would never have been able to stop him. She suppressed a shiver.

“I lied,” she said, keeping her voice as steady as possible, though given he’d definitely already seen her jump that was probably a lost cause.

“I’d noticed,” Cardan said. He stepped away from her back and stepped around in front of her, turning to face her. Jude breathed a silent sigh of relief that he was no longer so close. “Tell me, was duping me into being High King your plan all along or did you just come up with it in the moment?”

“And what makes you think that you have the right to be privy to my plans?” Jude asked coolly. She had to make sure she kept the upper hand. Cardan might be bound to her for a year and a day, but Oak wouldn’t be ready to take the throne then so she had to start planning now for how to keep things in her control until he could.

A confusing expression crossed Cardan’s face, frustration perhaps, but it was hard to tell. “Then am I allowed to presume that I’m to be a throne-warmer for your precious little brother until he’s older?”

“You are allowed,” she said. “And remember that this is a temporary arrangement. No one’s asking you to remain high king forever.” On some level she was aware she should be pleased that Cardan was this pissed at being maneuvered onto the throne. If Cardan had actually secretly harbored a desire to be high king this whole thing would quickly blow up in her face. She was going to spend a lot of the next few years counting on Cardan not actually wanting to be high king so it was good that at least right now things on that front were holding up.

Cardan glowered at her, his teeth gritted. She kept her face firmly blank and stared him down, waiting. She did not allow any of her uncertainties regarding this whole arrangement to show.

“I don’t like this,” Cardan finally said.

“I don’t really care if you like it or not,” she said. “Now, I’m going to give you a few commands to establish some ground rules. Is that alright?”

Cardan shifted, somewhere between uncomfortable and enraged. “Somehow I doubt it matters whether it’s ‘alright’ or not.”

He was right, of course. Jude wasn’t sure why she’d asked. After all, it wasn’t like any faerie who’d ever decided to have their fun ensorcelling her or Taryn had ever stopped to ask for permission. She drew herself up, trying to seem confident. “Firstly, you are not allowed to carry out any plots which may harm me or Oak or Vivienne or interfere our plans. You are also not allowed aid any others in plots which may harm me or Oak or Vivienne or interfere with our plans. Secondly, you are not, under any circumstances, allowed to tell anyone or lead anyone to suspect that I hold any power over you. Thirdly, you are not allowed to make any policy decisions for Elfhame without my express permission. Sound good?”

She would need to give more commands than that and she would need to make sure the wording of all her commands left no loopholes, but hopefully these would be good enough for not. She would need to make sure she had Cardan’s every possibly avenue to betray her blocked off. Cardan hated her and she had no doubt that if given the option he would not hesitate to foil her plans.

“Very well.” Cardan said through his teeth. He was seething. The full force of his hatred was a bit unsettling, but Jude tried to ignore it. She was in control. She had the power now.

“Good,” she said. “I have an errand to run. I’ll be back in a few hours.

“Am I allowed to ask where you’re going?” Cardan asked.

“No,” she said. She wasn’t about to tell Cardan where she and Vivi were taking Oak. “I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

“Of course,” Cardan growled. “Whatever you wish, Your Majesty.”

Jude just turned and walked away.


End file.
